By Rod Dawson

After the match of the season, Herefordshire Junior table tennis team is still in with a shout for the title.

A very long and tiring journey took them to the Sports Community Centre in St. Austell, Cornwall on Saturday (12-Jan-2002) for their penultimate county league match against one of the favourites. A slightly 'glassy eyed' junior county coach (and chauffeur) Dave Gough said it was a tremendous match, and the Draw of 5-5 was a great all round team performance. There were tears off court, on the court and after the final game, which was a nail biter of all nail biters. Dave gave praise to each and every player, including Sue Segus (County Senior player) who accompanied the group and helps with the girls. Five of the games went into deciding 5^th set, and if the adrenaline had not been flowing so high in a couple of these games, and the "nets and edges" had been a little more kind to us, the result would have been quite different.

Young Jessica Davies from St. Mary's won both her games in a very gutsy and determined style, 11/5, 11/6, 11,7 and 11/9, 13/11, 11/5. Ali Dawson failed to gain his revenge over the England number 43 from being defeated in the England Trials last week by him, but the mid-week coaching session with Mark Stubbs of Bromyard was greatly in evidence. Going to 5, with the nerves jangling and slightly over hitting, Ali lost out 13/11, 5/11, 12/10, 10/12, 7/11.

The match score see-sawed back and forth right up to the final game when Hereford were 4-5 down. Jessica's brother Joe Davies at Sixth Form waiting nervously in the wings to play the last match. If what happened previously during the afternoon was anything to go by, this could be a cracker, and Joe was not about to disappoint. In the opening 2 sets he went down 0-2. The young team was now beside themselves, literally. Shoulder to shoulder they encouraged their last player on. Stern words from Dave telling Joe to chop the ball for all he was worth (Joe unusually in the modern day style of attacking play, is a defender). Following orders Joe gradually wore down the youngster Adam Broad to win 6/11, 9/11, 11/7, 11/6, 11/8, thus cheating the home side of a victory. As soon as the final stroke was played, the whole team rushed forward to embrace the distraught and elated Joe.

This coming Saturday will see Ali and Joe playing in Cheltenham for a newly assembled Under-19 Sixth Form team in a Zone Final of the English Schools team competition, and the following week all the county juniors, which includes the very loyal Nick Wilson and Lauren James (team reserves and never missed a match) travel to Bromyard for the individual regional Hereford & Worcester Schools competition. All the county table tennis officials, coaches and parents wish them well and hope they retain the 3 titles they won last year, and have a very good chance of increasing that tally on this year's performance.